Many Canadian workers making up for extra time: Survey

Faced with anorexic staffing levels and heavier workloads, one in five Canadians is putting in longer hours at the office just to keep up, according to a new national labour force survey. But if the boss doesn’t reward their increased efforts, 62 per cent will resort to compensating themselves by leaving early, faking sickness, taking extended lunch breaks or starting later.

Although such measures might seem risky when pink slips are being handed out in increasing numbers, human resources experts say employees who feel shortchanged will inevitably find ways to settle up.

“We know that employees will always even the score by cutting into the most discretionary behaviour first,” said Sandra Robinson, a professor in the department of organizational behaviour at the University of British Columbia.

“So if they’re calling in sick (and) taking longer breaks, you can bet they’re already reducing their ‘citizenship’ behaviour in other ways not yet measured: not helping coworkers, not reading memos, missing non-essential meetings and other...facets at work.”

In speaking with 956 workers in late January, Environics Research found common methods of self-remuneration include leaving early (53 per cent), working at a more leisurely pace (27 per cent), taking sick days when healthy (23 per cent), extending lunch breaks (21 per cent) and arriving late (16 per cent).

Toronto executive Philip Blake says he’ll abandon work for an impromptu gym session or to read a book if he’s feeling especially stressed. His organization, however, encourages such workday escapes by providing access to an on-site fitness centre, yoga classes, meditation and belly dancing, a putting green and driving range, games room with a pool table and video games, as well as a basketball and tennis court.

“It’s about what goes on between people’s ears,” said Blake, president of Bayer Inc.

“Giving folks a chance to build their energy and focus helps takes the stress away, helps take distractions away and, overall, helps us be more successful as a company.”

According to a Canadian productivity and balance strategist, it’s this kind of philosophy that helps prevent long-term stress leave and other psychological fissures in corporate culture.

She says the survey results are an encouraging sign that employees are taking care of themselves — even if it’s on the company’s dime.

“Building in breaks and points of renewal, despite the fact that you’re not done or caught up, is a very positive strategy,” said Patricia Katz, who is based in Saskatoon.“Because if the company’s not looking out for you, who is?”

The ways workplace habits are changing have much to do with personal-risk assessment, notes Katz.

While employees who perceive a mild risk of being laid off will likely work harder in hopes the increased face-time will secure their position — about 20 per cent of people, according to the survey — Katz says those with an imminent sense of being let go will take care of themselves rather than expend precious energy on the company.

Because roughly half of Canadian businesses still use “rudimentary” methods of tracking employee behaviour, such as manual time cards, a spokeswoman for ADP Canada says most aren’t aware of the extent to which such activity occurs.

Payroll company ADP Canada says its aim in commissioning the survey is to provide a snapshot of the trend for employers.

But Robinson cautions that it’s not a complete picture because the data was self-reported and respondents tend to have limited recall of past behaviour.

To “avoid looking like chumps,” she says, employees may also rationalize extra work hours by claiming to engage in self-compensation, even if they do not.

Survey data is considered accurate within 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.